11757

No, not an obscure reference to Lindenhurst, NY‘s zipcode. Nor is it one to The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams Bianco in Project Gutenberg or even the model number of George Foreman’s Chrome Baby Grill on Amazon.co.uk.

11,757 is my total word count on the novel I’m working on for NaNoWriMo.

That’s right — 88 words ahead, baby!

I stopped early today because I was at a scene change and my head was beginning to hurt.

You see, before I could start writing this morning, I had to work on my notes so I’d know what I was supposed to write about. I didn’t have high hopes for staying on track today because of that. I knew I was staring down into the gullet of the beast — the dreaded second act — the middle.

I think it only took me about an hour to fill in the story notes for the 2nd and 3rd acts. One benefit of having tried to cram this story into 2400 words back in September is that I know how it ends. I suspect this gives me an advantage over nearly every other thing I have begun writing. Not just an outline, but one that I’ve already working through and know that it resonates with the beginning — or at least how it SHOULD resonate with the beginning now.

I still worry about making a muddle of the middle, but I’ve found that the diagrams (mentioned in previous post) I combined from Dunne’s Emotional Structure have been invaluable in terms of dealing with pacing. I know it’s far from perfect, but I don’t feel as if I’m heading out on lengthy exploratory expeditions this time. With page numbers to aim for, I feel more comfortable in writing my scenes and sections. Thank you so much for pointing me this direction, Jodi!

So far, the characters haven’t argued or struck off on their own either. I’m taking this as a good sign — not one that means they’re weak and unfit for heroic roles.

My only real worry is that it will turn out to feel mechanical. I know the page numbers are only guidelines, so I’m trying not to obsess over them, but it feels comfortable and reassuring to hit those strides. I’m trusting you, Mr. Dunne… I know I have to make my own magic. I’m trying.

I also mentioned in the live chat on Romance Divas today that I felt like I sucked at details. MamaDivine wisely told me not to worry about them, they would come with revisions. Unfortunately, it’s not just the small details that seem to elude me. It’s often the keystones. I’ll know that something significant needs to be done or has been done by one of the main characters, but what exactly that might be… I have no clue.

This seems inherently more problemmatic than just what would be served at a typical dinner party during the Regency Era or what dances were fashionable at the time. I don’t know. I’m sticking to generics in the meantime and plowing ahead.

At this rate, I may even get to take a couple of days off, like I’d hoped!